Indian ace B. Sai Praneeth has reached the final of Thailand Open by getting the better of his Thai counterpart Pannawit Thongnuam 21-11 21-15 in straight-game in a match that only last 36 minutes. His national compatriot Saina Nehwal, on the other hand, bowed out of the tournament after losing out to Busanan Ongbumrungpan 19-21, 18-21 in the semi-finals.

The 24-year-old Hyderabad-born shuttler, Sai Praneeth – who clinched the Singapore Open crown last month – didn’t sweat much to defeat Thongnuam and never gave the Thai player a slightest of edge to get past through him. In the second game, however, Thongnuam tried hard to bring his game back on track, but the brilliance of Praneeth eventually proved out too much to handle. With that being said and done, Praneeth will now lock horns with Indonesia’s 19-year-old sensation Jonathan Christie in the final on Sunday.

The fact that the 24-year-old Praneeth hasn’t dropped a single game in the entire tournament gives him a slight edge against Christie. Praneeth has shown a strong resilience in the entire tournament thus far, and if he tends to lift his second consecutive title this Sunday, he will have to be on his toes as his 19-year-old counterpart Jonathan Christie certainly isn’t the one to be overlooked at.

While Praneeth booked his place in the ultimate stage of the tournament (in men’s single), Saina Nehwal bowed out of the circuit as being outclassed by the local player Busanan Ongbumrungpan. Saina fought hard in the first game, but lost out narrowly and same was the case in the following game. In what was a completely tensed affair, Ongbumrungpan started off in style, but Nehwal’s answers to the Thai’s debrief were spot on. While the first game was tied at 19-19, 21-year-old Ongbumrungpan gained momentum and didn’t allow Saina to gain a single point. The second game was Nehwal’s to lose as she was leading 11-8 at one point, but a confident comeback from the Thai locked all the doors for Saina.

With that being said and done now, Sunday’s ultimate fixture of the tournament will be an all-Thai final as Busanan Ongbumrungpan will ply her nails against the top seed Ratchanok Intanon.